Connector With Release Mechanism, and Method for Forming a Releasable Fluid Connection

ABSTRACT

A connector for use in a system for flowing fluid, having at least one cup-shaped female part ( 1 ), in which an adapted male part ( 8 ) on another connector is intended to be sealingly and securely mounted, wherein the female part ( 1 ) has integral longitudinal locking tangs ( 2 ) which have their free ends pointing in the direction of insertion of a male part ( 8 ) into the female part, the free ends of the locking tangs projecting into the space in the female part for engaging with a male part, and wherein the locking tangs ( 2 ) having engaging means ( 4, 15 ) which can be used by a tool to urge the locking tangs ( 2 ) apart so that the male part ( 8 ) and the female part ( 1 ) can be disengaged from one another. The engaging means ( 4, 15 ) may be holes or recesses, or alternatively projections or lugs.

Connector with Release Mechanism

The present invention relates to a connector for use in a system forflowing fluids, having at least one cup-shaped female part, in which anadapted male part on another connector is intended to be sealingly andsecurely mounted. In particular, the invention relates to a releasemechanism for the said connector which disengages a male part from afemale part.

In known solutions for locking systems for a male part and a femalepart, the locking element is often a separate ring. The ring may belocated on either the male part or the female part, whilst the otherpart comprises a locking groove. The ring is compressed or expanded asthe male part is passed into the female part, before it slips into placein the locking groove.

For example, air brake systems on commercial goods vehicles useconnectors with nipples for the pipes, the connectors being made withmale parts for connecting them to openings in female parts on anotherconnector in a sealing manner. The nipples may have external,circumferential grooves onto which the pipes are pressed and secured.Opposite the nipples, the connector may have a male part with sealingelements and locking rings that are to secure the connectors in femaleparts which have internal locking ring grooves. A common type of lockingring is a split ring, optionally with a bevelled outer edge forfacilitating insertion into the female part. As sealing elements it isusual to use O-rings, which can be stretched to be passed into the maleparts and fitted in the annular grooves therein, or which are insertedinto the female parts and located in internal grooves therein.

Thus, the locking rings are separate parts, which are mounted in themale parts or in the female parts before these parts are connectedtogether.

Connectors of this type have long been made of metal, especially ofbrass, and the method of production has been turning. For reasons ofprice, it has been desirable to manufacture the connectors by injectionmoulding plastic in order to reduce material costs and to avoidmachining. Moreover, it is also desirable to avoid separate lockingrings.

A prerequisite for rational moulding is that the mould parts used,including the core which forms the inner space in the female part,should be capable of being used for a large number of connectors, andconsequently the connectors must releasable from the mould parts withoutthe mould parts having to be destroyed.

Furthermore, in many uses it is necessary to have the possibility ofdisconnecting the male part from the female part. For this purpose, itespecially desirable to have a durable, good connection which can easilybe disengaged using a suitable tool which is usually at hand in aworkshop situation.

GB Patent No. 1521448 teaches a split coupling sleeve formed by punchingand bending sheet metal so that the sleeve comprises four longitudinalwall portions separated by slits and a bottom having a hole for a tube.The sleeve is fitted on the outside of the tube, which is made having anexternal, circumferential locking bead against which an end of thesleeve comes to rest. At the opposite end, the sleeve has interiorlocking tangs which project obliquely into the sleeve. The locking tangsare attached to the rest of the sleeve close to the opposite end, andthe free ends of the locking tangs point in the direction of insertionof a male part that is insertable into the sleeve. The male part is madehaving a collar which is locked by the locking tangs after having passedthem, in that the free ends of the locking tangs remain resting againsta transverse edge that delimits the collar. Thus, the sleeve is open inthe slits between the four wall portions, and cannot contribute to theformation of a seal for a flowing medium. The sleeve has a solelymechanical function. Sealing is therefore formed between the tube andthe male part. The sleeve is not suitable for moulding.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,704 teaches a coupling where a female part haslocking tangs which can lock against an inserted male part. The femalepart is formed of several components, namely an outer sleeve of metal, anon-metallic tubular piece on which the sleeve is fitted and an innersleeve of metal in which the locking tangs are formed, whilst the malepart has transverse edges that come to rest against the ends of thelocking tangs after insertion of the male part. A sealing ring isinserted in an annular groove in the sleeve.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,874 also teaches a coupling where a female part hasinner locking tangs angled in the direction of insertion of a male part.The male part has a circumferential edge against which the ends of thelocking tangs come to rest after insertion of the male part. The lockingtangs are located on an inserted member in the female part, introducedinto an elongate annular groove therein.

EP 1 333 217 also describes a coupling sleeve which can be made havingintegral locking tangs, and which in addition is equipped with an extraspring element for improving the resilience of the locking tangs.

Moreover, WO 96/24003 discloses a coupling sleeve having longitudinalintegral locking tangs pointing towards the direction of insertion of aconnecting member. The sleeve may contain a sealing element.

The present invention provides a connector which, in an integral femalepart, has integral locking tangs, and which can be moulded, therebyavoiding the use of a separate locking ring or a separate locking tangelement. The free ends of the locking tangs point in the direction ofinsertion of a male part into the female part. The locking tangs may bedirected obliquely inwards in the female part, or each locking tang mayhave an inwardly facing catch on its free end, so that the locking tangsare bent resiliently outwards when the male part is inserted, and thenengage with at least one shoulder or flange on the male part. The malepart may have two shoulders or flanges one after the other, so that theoutermost one provides a safety position in the event that theengagement with the innermost shoulder or flange ceases.

The manufacture is rational as there is no need for the manufacture andassembly of separate locking rings or separate locking tang parts.Moreover, the danger of missing or incorrectly mounted locking rings orlocking tangs is avoided.

Under load, when there is internal pressure in the system of which thefemale part is a component, which seeks to force the female part and themale part apart axially, the locking tangs will be subjected tocompressive strain in the longitudinal direction.

Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a connectorfor use in a system for flowing fluid, having at least one cup-shapedfemale part, in which an adapted male part on another connector isintended to be sealingly and securely mounted, wherein the female parthas integral, longitudinal locking tangs which have their free endspointing in the direction of insertion of a male part into the femalepart, the free ends of the locking tangs projecting into the space inthe female part for engagement with a male part, and wherein the lockingtangs have engaging means that can be used by a tool to urge the lockingtangs apart so that the male part and the female part can be disengagedfrom one another.

The engaging means may be recesses of various kinds such as holes whichare wholly or partly through-going. The recesses or holes are preferablyprovided in the transverse direction of the direction of movement of thelocking tangs upon disengagement, or at a suitable angle relative to thelongitudinal direction so that a tool can grip the recesses to pull orurge the locking tangs apart. The recesses may have variouscross-sectional configurations such as circular, oval, square etc.adapted to the tool or tools that are to be used to disengage theconnection between the male and the female part. The engaging means mayalso be projections or lugs so arranged as to allow a tool to engage thelugs and with the aid thereof urge the locking tangs apart in accordancewith the invention.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one of or each of the locking tangshas at least one hole in the transverse direction of the connector,whereby two locking tangs with mutually parallel holes on the same sideof the connector can be urged apart using a tool, e.g., pliers of thetype for use on Seeger rings.

In different embodiments, there may be a smooth portion formed on thelocking tongues and a corresponding smooth portion formed on theconnector, which portions together form a position indicator in thatwhen a male part has been inserted correctly, they are in the sameradial position, whilst on incorrect insertion of the male portion, theflat portion on the locking tangs will be displaced radially outwards bya shoulder on the male part, and the displacement makes it possible tofeel a difference in height between the smooth portions, which thusindicates an incorrect or incomplete mounting.

Furthermore, the female part according to the invention may be designedand dimensioned to act as an impact protector for a connector on whichthe male part is located.

The female part may also be in one piece with at least one correspondingfemale part, forming an in-line connector, an elbow, a tee or a cross.The female part may also be in one piece with a nipple or severalnipples for the mounting of one or more pipes or hoses.

Thus, a connector according to the invention may have different types oftransition to other parts of the system. The connector, on the endopposite the end provided with the locking tangs, may be made withexternal threads, or it can be made as a nipple for the mounting of apipe. The female part may be in one piece with a corresponding femalepart for insertion of a second male part, or in one piece with two ormore corresponding female parts to form a tee with three female parts ora cross with four female parts, for insertion of respectively three andfour male parts. There is no limit whatsoever as regards the design ofthe connector opposite the end with the locking tangs, except thatthrough-flow must be facilitated.

The present invention will be better understood from the followingdetailed description and the attached drawings, which are only anillustration and which are thus not limiting for the invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector with two female parts atright angles to each other.

FIG. 2 is a partial section of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an axial section of a male part and a female part that are notfully connected to each other, i.e., in the safety position as describedabove.

FIG. 4 is an axial section of a male part and a female part that arefully connected, the male part being made having a nipple into which apipe has been passed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of an example of the presentinvention in the form of a connector comprising two cup-shaped femaleparts 1 at right angles to each other, each female part 1 being equippedwith locking tangs 2 which can engage with a groove or a flange on amale part that is inserted into the female part. The locking tangs 2 areintegral parts of the walls 3 of the female part 1 and point in thedirection of insertion of a male part, and the locking abutment for aflange on the male part is on the free ends of the locking tangs 2. Thelocking tangs 2 in the female part 1 may be made having holes 4. Fordisconnection of the male part from the female part, a tool can bepassed into these hole 4 to urge the tangs 2 outwards in order todisengage the male part from the female part in that the groove edge orflange is no longer in abutment against the ends of the locking tangs 2.A tool of the type used for Seeger rings, e.g., may be used to pull thelocking tangs 2 slightly outwards. Alternatively, a tool can grip underor on the lugs 15 in order to move the locking tangs 2 apart so as todisengage the connection. The lugs may alternatively also be located atother points on the locking tangs.

Two female parts 1 may also be joined to form an in-line connector forconnecting together hoses and pipes, three female parts 1 may be joinedto form a tee, or four female parts 1 may be joined to form a cross, forthe insertion of a corresponding number of male parts. The connector mayalso comprise a nipple, optionally several nipples, for mounting one ormore pipes, or it may comprise a threaded pipe section for connection toother parts of the system.

The female part 1 may be designed so that it forms an impact protectorfor the male part. This may be accomplished by the wall 3 of the femalepart 1 projecting so far in the axial direction that it covers the malepart. The female part 1 is dimensioned according to what type of forcesthe male part may be subjected to.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a male part 8, with an attached hose 9 and sealingrings 10, connected to a female part 1. The female part 1 is onlypartially shown in these figures as the end of the female part oppositethe locking tangs 2 may be designed in many different ways, includingthose mentioned above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. The male part 8in the illustrated example has two shoulders 11 and 12 which can engagewith the ends of the flexible locking tangs 2 in the female part 1.Alternatively, the male part 8 may have grooves with which the lockingtangs 2 engage. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the locking tangs have holes4 for a tool.

The connection of the male part 8 and the female part 1 may be done intwo steps. The first step entails the parts engaging each other andbeing locked, without the O-rings 10 being compressed. This is done bythe locking tangs 2 engaging with the shoulder 11 on the male part 8, asshown in FIG. 3. When there is a pressurised fluid within theconnectors, it will result in controlled leakage which can be used toindicate incomplete mounting. The second step comprises the parts beingcompletely mounted. The locking tangs 2 engage with the shoulder 12 onthe male part 8, whilst the O-rings 10 are compressed and preventleakage. At the same time the male part comes into controlled abutmentwithin the connector.

Each locking tang 2 has on its exterior a smooth portion 13 close to itsfree end, whilst an adjacent area of the rest of connector has acorresponding smooth portion 14. These portions 13 and 14 are identicalto each other, and may, e.g., be flat or curved, and together form aposition indicator in that when the male part 8 has been correctlyinserted in the second step, they are in the same radial position. Whenthe male part 8 is incorrectly inserted, the smooth portion 13 on thelocking tangs 2 will be displaced radially outwards because the shoulder12 on the male part 8 has not passed through the locking tangs 2, butpresses them outwards. The displacement makes it possible to feel acertain difference in height between the smooth portions 13 and 14,which thus indicates an incorrect mounting.

The connector according to the invention can be made of several types ofplastic.

The flowing fluid can in principle be any liquid or gas.

1-9. (canceled) 10: A connector, comprising: at least one female partfor forming a sealing connection with at least one male part; and aplurality of locking tangs formed in the female part for engaging themale part, each of the locking tangs having at least one recessconfigured for receiving a tool to disengage the connection between themale and female parts. 11: The connector of claim 10, wherein the recesscomprises a hole extending at least partially through the correspondinglocking tang. 12: The connector of claim 10, wherein the recesscomprises a hole extending completely through the corresponding lockingtang. 13: The connector of claim 10, wherein at least one of the lockingtangs has the recess extending transversely to a longitudinal directionof the male and female parts. 14: The connector of claim 13, wherein atleast two of the locking tangs have the recesses for receiving the toolto urge apart the locking tangs. 15: The connector of claim 14, whereinthe tool is inserted into the recess of each of the two locking tangs todisengage the connection between the male and female parts. 16: Theconnector of claim 10, wherein the male part includes at least oneshoulder for engaging the locking tangs. 17: The connector of claim 10,wherein the male part includes at least one groove for engaging thelocking tangs. 18: The connector of claim 10, wherein the female part issubstantially cup-shaped. 19: The connector of claim 10, wherein theplurality of locking tangs are formed integrally with the female part.20: The connector of claim 10, wherein the locking tangs have free endspointing in a direction of insertion of the male part into the femalepart. 21: The connector of claim 20, wherein the free ends of thelocking tangs project into a space in the female part for engagementwith the male part. 22: The connector of claim 10, wherein each of thelocking tangs has a smooth portion, and another smooth portion is formedon the female part, such that the smooth portions together form aposition indicator indicating whether the male part is properly insertedinto the female part. 23: The connector of claim 22, wherein upon properinsertion of the male part into the female part, the smooth portions arein the same radial position, whereas upon improper insertion of the malepart into the female part, the smooth portion of each locking tang isdisplaced radially outwardly of the male part. 24: The connector ofclaim 10, wherein the connector includes a plurality of female partsforming at least one of an in-line connector, an elbow, a tee, and across. 25: The connector of claim 10, wherein the female part includesat least one nipple for mounting at least one pipe or hose. 26: Theconnector of claim 10, wherein at least one fluid flows through the maleand female parts. 27: A connector for forming a sealing connectionbetween at least one female part and at least one male part, comprising:a plurality of locking tangs formed in the female part for engaging themale part, each of the locking tangs having an engaging means configuredfor receiving a tool to disengage the connection between the male andfemale parts. 28: The connector of claim 27, wherein the engaging meansis a recess or hole. 29: The connector of claim 28, wherein each of thelocking means has the recess or hole extending transversely to alongitudinal direction of the male and female parts. 30: The connectorof claim 29, wherein at least two of the locking tangs each have therecess or hole for receiving the tool to urge apart the locking tangs.31: The connector of claim 30, wherein the tool is inserted into therecess or hole of the two locking tangs to disengage the connectionbetween the male and female parts. 32: The connector of claim 27,wherein the engaging means is a projection or lug. 33: The connector ofclaim 32, wherein the engaging means extends in a longitudinal directionof the male and female parts. 34: A method for forming a releasableconnection between at least one female part and at least one male part,comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of locking tangs in thefemale part, each of the locking tangs having at least one recess andconfigured for receiving a tool to disengage the connection between themale and female parts; and engaging the locking tangs with the malepart. 35: The method of claim 34, wherein the male part is formed withat least one first shoulder and at least one second shoulder, and thefemale part includes at least one O- ring. 36: The method of claim 35,wherein the step of engaging the locking tangs with the male partcomprises the steps of: engaging the locking tangs with the at least onefirst shoulder of the male part; and engaging the locking tangs with theat least one second shoulder of the male part such that the at least oneO-ring of the female part becomes compressed. 37: The method of claim34, further comprising the step of: inserting the tool into the recessesof two of the locking tangs to urge apart the locking tangs anddisengage the connection between the male and female parts.